Got It Memorized?
by Nowjkjkjklololol
Summary: Ongoing fanfic in which Axel suddenly remembers past memories of himself and a blonde, and sets out to find him. And to not seem crazy when he does.
1. Chapter One

Axel was on the prowl, as usual. Yet another Thursday night, in yet another gloomy, cramped, and predominantly overcast town, bar-hopping his way through the city: and though he watched the crowds at every bar with desperate, hungry eyes, he left every one without speaking to anyone except the bartender. When people looked past tattoos and wild red hair and found him appealing enough to approach, he would continue to search the room beyond them without even registering their presence until they became dejected enough or angry enough to withdraw. He no longer knew how many bars in how many towns he had visited, but he had left each one after a single, quick drink and then moved on. After hitting every bar, no matter how small, on Thursday, he would spend Friday through Wednesday finding the next town that met his requirements and traveling there, and then would start all over again. If his funds got low, he picked up an odd job; if he was tired, he slept in his car. Always moving, always searching, always feeling both more defeated and more hopeful with every new place he found himself in.

It hadn't always been like this.

Axel spent the first twenty-three years of his life growing into adulthood just like anyone else; he was working his way through college getting an art degree his parents thought was a waste of money, he had a car and a group of close friends and a boring but stable desk job, and he had a healthy social life around his classes. Things had been going pretty well for the tall, lanky redhead until a series of poor decisions changed everything for him.

He and his usual crowd had been leaving a party at a little after one in the morning, planning to head back to someone's place to finish up the night, when something running onto the road caused the driver of the car Axel was riding in to spin out of control and slam them into a tree going well over the speed limit. The driver and the two other passengers in the car had walked away with only minor cuts and bruises, but Axel had wound up in a coma with life-threatening injuries. Every doctor and nurse that saw him had repeatedly expressed their shock that he had even survived long enough to get to the emergency room, and he lost a few months to unconsciousness, but what he gained was so much more than that; when Axel finally opened his eyes, he remembered everything leading up to the crash. Not simply the last twenty-or-so years most people would, or his full twenty-three-plus years since birth, but memories of past lives filled his head and his heart and utterly destroyed any semblance of happiness he'd experienced as the person he had been before the accident. What he had found in his memories rewrote the very definition of 'happy' for him. Despite the dates and locations and experiences of his memories varying wildly, there was one face that seemed to repeatedly appear beside his in almost every one. The memories he found that were not filled with a head of fluffy yet spiky blonde hair were...dark. Empty. Most ended unpleasantly. Yet over and over, in life after life, whenever a tiny blonde male began appearing at his side, his life found a purpose, and every memory connected to him was vibrant and comforting and unspeakably, fundamentally happy. Big, deep blue eyes burned in his mind when he came to, and his entire being ached with the crushing weight of loss he felt when he reached out blindly and felt nothing but cool air under his desperately searching hand. There was nothing that mattered to him from before the crash anymore except a very few close friends. His entire existence narrowed and sharpened into a single point of focus that he already felt pulling at him. He didn't tell anyone about it except his roommate Demyx, who was his closest friend, and Demyx's boyfriend Zexion, who happened to be there to witness his drunken admission; he was afraid people would think he suffered brain damage in the accident or had gone crazy from it and keep him somewhere to observe and check on. The day after he and his roommates had gotten wasted together and he had revealed his secret to them, Axel got up early with a new resolve solidified in his mind. He went to the bank, withdrew a good amount from his savings, and then sent a very satisfying text to his boss saying he wouldn't be coming in again. He then packed up his car with everything he would need and disappeared, leaving behind an envelope stuffed with enough cash to cover his share of the next few month's rent and a letter explaining himself to his best friend. He'd spent the following four years following his searching pattern, knowing that would be the best chance for him to find the ghost from his past that haunted him. He could remember conversations he'd never had in which the blonde explained that the weekdays were no good because he didn't want to go to work hungover, and Friday or the weekend meant his friends would try to keep him out far longer than he wanted to spend away from home. So Axel continued to search every one of the crowded, gloomy cities that his blue-eyed blonde preferred, because he knew that unless he knew the man's daily life and habits, it would be impossible to locate his focus.

Roxas only went out with his friends on Thursdays.


	2. Chapter Two

"Okay, seriously Hayner, how many times do I have to go over this with you?" The exasperated tone did nothing to diminish his best friend's exuberant grin, and Roxas sighed in annoyance. "We can do beach day on Saturday, get pretzels and junk food and stay all day, all that jazz. But if you wanna hit the bar, it's tonight or nothing. Thursday is bar night and that's not changing...and I was really looking forward to getting trashed." He threw a pleading glance towards his other two best friends, lounging on the sofa the four of them shared. They had all been friends since grade school, and had all opted to attend the same college together, so the first thing they'd done was to get themselves into a small house as close to campus as possible that they could rent. So now they were all broke college kids but at least broke college kids living with best friends and a lower rent bill. The one they'd found was a three bedroom, but Pence didn't mind his futon being in the living room because he got the huge hall closet to himself and, as he so often put it, he 'got the TV all night long' and was 'closer to the fridge,' so they'd all agreed to it. He and Olette, who were watching Hayner try to convince Roxas to have a bonfire at the beach tonight, just shook their heads at the bickering pair, unwilling to join the debate. Roxas would only agree to bar night on Thursday, so they knew Hayner would ultimately lose, but it was still entertaining to watch them go at it. Roxas turned back on Hayner, doubling down upon seeing the smirk plastered across his face. "You know what, I've had a shit day. If you guys wanna do a beach night bonfire, y'all go without me. I'll be at The Snuggly Duckling if you change your mind." Ignoring protests and calls, Roxas turned, grabbed his hoodie and wallet off the back of the couch, and headed out the front door before they could stop him. He grumpily pulled on his hoodie, fiddling with the zipper on the black garment before tugging out the headphones he perpetually left stuffed in the pocket and jamming the jack into his phone. He'd woken up late, missed turning in an assignment in class, had been chewed out when he got into work because he'd worn the wrong shoes, spilled a huge, scalding pot of coffee on himself, and then lost a wheel on his skateboard on the way home. Today had been fucked, and he needed a drink. Or three. He sighed to himself as he finally got some music pumping out of the earbuds and popped them into his ears. Luckily, the bar that was their usual haunt was located right by campus and thus just a short walk down the street from their home; no need to ever worry they'd get too drunk to get home safely when they could actually crawl home if they had to. Right now, though, he just wanted to camp out in a booth and if his friends didn't want to join him, that would probably be for the best, because he was in the kind of mood he knew would bring everyone down. At this point, Roxas just wanted to suffer through the evening and start over again tomorrow. He trudged along down the sidewalk, cooling evening air taking some of the heat from his anger as he crushed fallen leaves underfoot to the sounds from his headphones. His mind wandered to what he needed to finish up tomorrow for his class before he would have a gloriously free weekend ahead of him; it was the week before finals so most of his classes were going easy on the workload to give students a chance to study. Lost in thought, he found himself waving to the familiar bouncer at the door before he realized he'd made it to the bar. Inside, a small row of booths lined the window and led to the bar, beyond which were more booths and tables, a small kitchen, and stairs leading to an upstairs that had pool tables, arcade games, and more tables. That was their usual spot and where Roxas was headed, but despite the waitresses he knew would be making rounds there, he always liked to stop in and get his first drink at the bar.

"Hey Luxord," he called in greeting to the blonde, heavily pierced man behind the bar as he squeezed his way up to the front. Luxord caught his eye and nodded in greeting as he continued working on the drink he was making, and Roxas slouched against the bar, looking around aimlessly. He arrived much later than the group normally did, so the bar was already crowded and seating was limited, and Roxas vaguely hoped upstairs wasn't packed as well.

"Good evening, Roxas. Missing the other three, I see," came the smooth baritone voice of Luxord as he sidled over to where Roxas was leaning. The small blonde noticed a flash of red in his peripheral; another guy with a bright, fiery mane of hair several spaces down at the bar had whipped his head around when Luxord had spoken, and he wondered for a split second if they shared the same name before immediately disregarding the stranger.

"Hey Lux. Yeah, they ditched me, can you believe it? But after the day I've had today, I needed to come see you." He flashed a winning smile at the taller blonde, whose mouth twitched into a smile of his own as he grabbed a glass.

"Ah, I see. Are you wanting me to come up with something new for you to try, then?" Luxord asked, already eyeing the row of liquors lined up along the back wall. Roxas nodded with a huge smile. Luxord was the best bartender at this place, and Roxas especially favored him because he could talk the man into making him drinks that were very strong but still tasted sweet and fruity, which was a must for someone who loved alcohol but hated the disgustingly bitter taste of beer. He watched as Luxord began creating his drink, starting with a significant dose of a thick-looking red liquor and a large splash of vodka before adding a pink, fizzy soda from the tap and finishing it with some ice and a few maraschino cherries. When is was slid across the bar to him, it was done with a slight smirk. "This one's a tad sour, but still very sweet. I think you'll find you like it," he said before moving away to another patron who was flagging him down. Roxas took a deep drink, trusting the man to have made something he would be fine with, and wasn't disappointed; it was tart, but light and sweet, despite the first taste of alcohol for the day stinging his nose. It was...really good. He threw back the short highball glass, consuming a considerable portion before returning it to the bar top, and sighed as he began to let go of the day's stress. The sweeter the drink, the faster he could put it away and the drunker he could get. After he'd polished off the first and received a second from Luxord, he pointed upstairs and waved before hopping down from the barstool he had occupied when it had become available and heading towards the back where the staircase was. He slipped one of his earbuds back in to drown out the popular hits playing from the speakers overhead as he began the short climb, oblivious to a pair of acidic green eyes following his every move.

Upstairs was more populated than usual, but still nowhere as crowded as the main floor had been, so Roxas slid himself into a booth near the pool tables that was empty. Brand New's "Okay I Believe You, But My Tommy Gun Don't" came on his headphones and he took a long drink before putting in the second earbud, closing his eyes, and focusing in on the melancholy that filled him. If he were completely honest with himself, it wasn't just today. He'd been in somewhat of a rut for a few months now. The huge coffee chain he was employed at underpaid and overworked him, he'd been single for far longer than he cared to admit, and he'd started to wonder if he'd made the right choice in major as his grades began to dip and it became harder and harder to drag himself to his classes. He felt like he needed to stop all of the routine monotony of his day to day and figure out what the fuck he was doing and what he wanted, but he didn't have the energy for that type of self-introspection, because the realization that he didn't feel excited about much anymore was exhausting. It made him angry and confused and-

The real world crashed back down upon him sharply as someone yanked his headphones painfully out of his ears by the cord. He gave a quiet yelp of surprise as his eyes darted up to locate his aggressor and fell upon a familiar face. The guy's name was Seifer, if he remembered correctly; he and his group of friends would sometimes play pool against them. They had a somewhat-friendly rivalry with the group, but nothing that would warrant the look of controlled anger the man currently wore. A harsh sneer spread over his face as he gained Roxas's attention, and began to speak to the petite blue-haired girl and the large, ripped guy behind him.

"Look at that, guys. It's Hayner's little friend. What was his name again?" Roxas glared up at the stocky, slightly larger blonde man standing over him and opened his mouth to say something, but the girl beat him to it.

"Roxas," she replied tonelessly, staring at the wood grain in the pool cue she held, and the huge brunette nodded and smiled aggressively.

"The tiny one," he muttered, cracking his knuckles ominously and sending Roxas's brain spinning into a confused panic. What the hell was going on? They played pool against each other once or twice a month, he'd never even seen them outside the bar. What could he have possibly done to- Hayner. What the fuck had Hayner done?

"Where's your friends, yo?" Seifer leaned in close enough that Roxas could smell the alcohol on his breath and growled the words aggressively into Roxas's face, making the smaller blonde gulp.

"They, uh...didn't wanna come out," Roxas stammered, leaning back to get some breathing room. "Finals and all, you know." Seifer's expression turned into a malicious grin as he slid into the booth opposite the smaller man, leaving Rai and Fuu to flank the ends of the benches and prevent any attempts at escape.

"I don't think that's why. I think Hayner's too much of a pussy to show up where we could find him, and he's too much of a pussy to tell you what's going on, so he chickened out and let you show up here by yourself. Unfortunately for you." Roxas froze, trying not to let any of the emotions running through him to show on his face. Was this what the impromptus beach trip had been about? What had Hayner DONE? Instead of panicking, Roxas held on firmly to the anger building in his chest, letting it burn away everything else and allowing him to give a cool shrug, taking a sip from his glass.

"Well, if you're right, I don't know what you want with me. I don't know anything. I'm just here to get drunk." He set his glass back down, only for Seifer to reach out and grab it. He swirled the liquid around in the cup without taking his eyes off the blonde's and then tipped it up, finishing off the mostly-full glass in one go.

"Sorry, it looks like you're done. Do you want to hear the message I want you to deliver first, or should we just get right down to business?" Roxas glared at the empty glass before pulling a cigarette from the pack in his pocket and lighting it up.

"I guess give me the message first," he sighed, the picture of boredom while internally he was just desperately trying to stall before whatever he meant by 'business' happened. Rai sat down on the bench next to him, forcing him to squeeze himself to the side quickly to avoid being crushed, while Fuu took a seat much more gracefully next to Seifer.

"Hayner's been hanging out with us for poker nights, and he's owed us the last few weeks. I told him Monday to pay up by Friday, and I still haven't heard from him. So I just want you to show up and tell him in person and make sure he got my message to get me that money by tomorrow. Think you can do that, yo?" Roxas rolled his eyes exaggeratedly, puffing a big cloud of smoke into the air between them.

"Gaia, this is some stupid shakedown? How much does he owe you? We'll just pay it off for the idiot," he said, wondering if he would have enough in his small but respectable savings to just pay them off right now. Seifer's eyes gleamed mockingly and Rai outright laughed at his words, making his mouth go suddenly dry.

"Twenty-two thousand munny," came the flat response from Fuu as she crossed her arms and leaned back. Well, that was a huge nope, his eight thousand saved seemed like nothing suddenly. He leaned back as well just as Fuu had done, mirroring her dismissiveness.

"You know I don't have that kind of munny on me, right?" he asked with a tone that questioned whether or not they were idiots, and Seifer's grin grew predatory.

"We aren't taking a single munny from you tonight, don't you worry, yo. We're gonna give you a few things instead, actually." His head tilted suddenly and suddenly Roxas's shoulder was on fire; Rai had gripped his wrist in a surprisingly agile move, twisting it behind his back and jerking upward until his shoulder creaked and he had to bite his lip before he yelled and started a scene at his favorite bar. Seifer seemed to be thinking similar thoughts, because he winked and said, "Let's move this outside, yo." Keeping his grip tight, Rai slid out of the booth, dragging Roxas's smaller frame along behind him and painfully forcing him to his feet. The couple behind them were too focused on each other to notice what was going on, and the small group of girls closest to the stairs were currently all trying to squeeze themselves into a selfie together; no one was going to notice him being escorted out unless he started a fight inside, which would surely get him kicked out forever. Wincing against the pressure in his arm, he allowed himself to be drug towards the stairs and forced down them. At the bottom, a right turn would lead towards the main bar and entrance, while a left had bathrooms and dead-ended at an emergency exit door, which was clearly where they were headed. Roxas was only afforded a split-second glance towards the bar before Rai's larger form blocked the narrow hallway, and he hadn't been able to catch sight of Luxord, so he knew there would be no help coming from inside once that door clicked shut behind him. He began to struggle; if he could break free now, or draw attention, it would be clear to any staff that he was only defending himself. At his movements, however, both Seifer and Rai snapped into action. Rai wrenched his arm up higher between his shoulder blades at the same time Seifer spun around and punched him once sharply in the stomach, knocking the wind from his lungs and causing nothing but a small grunt of pain to escape him as he attempted to double up upon himself. Rai then pushed him to stumble the last few steps forward out the door Seifer held open and into the waiting alleyway on his own. Fuu followed behind the three, pulling the door shut behind them with a foreboding click as Roxas panted, still trying to catch his breath.

"Fucking throw a sucker punch like that because you're afraid to fight me fair?" he spat at Seifer as soon as he was able, knowing in his heart they were about to beat the shit out of him and hoping he could goad Seifer into fighting himself rather than letting Rai and his intimidating musculature do the job. Seifer stepped forward, leaning down to get in Roxas's face again.

"I don't need to waste my energy on you, you're nothing," he jeered, seeming amused by the hate-filled glare Roxas was giving him. "You're too small to really have any fun with, anyway." He turned around dismissively, about to walk away, and missed the flash in the smaller blonde's eyes.

"You know, I hear the same thing about you, Seifer," he said sweetly, and the air was still and quiet for a brief second before Seifer's voice cracked through the tension.

"Hold him," he snapped, spinning around to face them again and giving Roxas a furious look as the big brunette grabbed him from behind, pinning his arms behind him tightly and only increasing the force of the hold in response to the small blonde's struggles. "You're going to regret that," Seifer's growl came just a second before he quickly approached again, and then he drew his clenched fist back to deliver what was sure to be a powerful blow. Roxas gritted his teeth and screwed his eyes shut, readying himself for the punch in a second that seemed to stretch on forever. His eyes snapped open and he whipped his head around as an unfamiliar voice sounded in the suddenly silent alley.

"Don't you even fucking think about it," the voice hissed, and Roxas looked up to see the profile of a ridiculously tall, slender, red-haired male, who'd caught Seifer's arm mid-punch and was gripping it with his own clenched hand. Rai and Fuu had frozen, clearly unsure of what to do with their leader incapacitated, and the newcomer ignored them for the time being as he focused his rage onto the man before him. "If you ever so much as look at him wrong again, I will fucking destroy you. Got it memorized?" Seifer began to reply when the stranger twisted his hand and pushed forward in a lightning-fast motion that drew a bellow of pain and rage from the large blonde as a sickeningly clear snap could be heard. The sound seemed to spur the other two into action, because Fuu rushed to where Seifer had fallen, holding his arm awkwardly as he writhed on the ground. Rai had moved as if to shove Roxas to the ground and out of his way, but the redhead was already in motion again, kicking out his foot with the speed of a striking snake to slam into Rai's knee, which buckled grotesquely as he let out a strangled scream. Before Roxas could struggle free, he felt himself being dragged down by the stocky brunette, but just as suddenly, he wasn't. His inexplicable savior had gripped his upper arm and tugged him free from Rai's loosened hold with a gentleness that was surprising considering every other action he had taken in the alleyway. Their eyes locked for a spit second, and the panic and elation that Roxas found in them left him breathless; he couldn't begin to explain the tears stinging at the corners of his eyes unless shock was finally settling in. Behind the man, Fuu stood and faced him with fists clenched at her sides.

"The debt won't go away no matter what you do to us. It isn't in our hands, we aren't the big leagues." Despite the violence surrounding her, Fuu still spoke as if she were bored beyond belief, and Roxas was silently impressed by her stoicism. The stranger, on the other hand, growled and spun around again, lanky frame taking a casual stance as he crossed his arms and stared her down.

"How much does he owe you?" the man asked silkily, jerking his head towards Roxas as he asked, and dawning awareness sparked in Fuu's eyes.

"Nothing," she answered simply, reaching a hand down towards Seifer and helping him to his feet. "Clearly, we picked the wrong friend to have this conversation with. Roxas won't hear from us again." Axel nodded, but his furious glare remained locked on them as they hurried over to Rai, who was oblivious to everything, still moaning quietly and clutching his leg. Fuu and Seifer both struggled to get him to his feet and began dragging him slowly down the alley to the opening at the end, but it wasn't until they were a good twenty feet away that the redheaded man let out a huffed breath and turned back towards Roxas, rubbing the back of his head with an awkward smile and avoiding meeting the blonde's eyes. Roxas WAS in shock at this point, unable to speak or move from where he had frozen when the man had released him, and his mind was stalled on processing the events that had unfolded.

"So, um," the man began slowly, still focused on the grimy pavement of the alley they were in, and that was enough to restart his brain.

"Who are- I mean, HOW did you, um, why did...?" Roxas trailed off weakly, mind still reeling and uncertain of what questions he even needed to ask to get the information his brain was seeking. Everything was spinning, getting fuzzy, but that wasn't right, and he desperately wanted to say something to his hero. "Uh, I- thanks?" His voice squeaked out, gratitude turning into bewilderment as the redhead's face spun away to be replaced by pavement speeding towards him. The last thing he was aware of was strong, warm arms scooping him up before he met the ground, and feeling weightless as he floated upwards. A voice began speaking, but faded away from him quickly as darkness rushed in.

"What is it, oh shit, what's-"


	3. Chapter Three

Another night, another bar, another town, another dead end. Axel finally gave up on the place and stared down into the last remaining traces of liquid in his glass, feeling especially hopeless. Years of time and energy poured into his search, yet it had earned him nothing. What if his soulmate had started going out on a different night, had a different philosophy or changed his routine or something. What if he had been in a town Axel had already tried, and had just not come out that particular week because he'd been ill or busy? Axel wondered about that last part frequently, especially as the years continued to pass. Maybe it all was a hallucination, despite what his heart and mind screamed at him. Maybe he had gotten brain damage, and he was crazy, and this was all a wild goose chase, and one day he would wake up and all the memories would be missing again as they had once been and he could go back to his old life and stop this pointless endeavor. Was it time to give up yet? He was getting tired of always feeling so lonely, so hollow.

"Good evening, Roxas. Missing the other three, I see." The bartender's voice was no louder than it had been all night, but the words rang in Axel's ears as if they had been shouted. Heart pounding, knowing that the chances of it being HIS Roxas were slim to none, Axel's head reflexively jerked up, eyes searching for the tiniest fraction of a second for the figure the bartender was facing before they landed on...

The world stopped for an infinite moment as Axel's eyes fell upon the short, spiky-haired blonde leaning casually on the bar and giving the man behind it a blindingly beautiful smile. He was dressed in a pair of faded grey skinny jeans and a black hoodie, a black and white ring on each of the first two fingers of his left hand as well as a white and black checkered cuff on his wrist that peeked from beneath his sleeve, all over a pair of beat up Converse. The sound of his own pulse beating frantically in his ears drowned out their conversation and Axel gripped the bar stool beneath him until his knuckles were white just to make sure he was awake and the sight before him was real. He was there. Feet away. He was real. Right in front of him. Axel's mind was reeling; he didn't know what to do or say or if he should reveal himself at all. He'd dreamed of this scenario happening a thousand times and nothing had prepared him for the moment when it actually arrived. He needed someone else to talk him down from all the wild plans beginning to form in his mind and get a real plan for what to do. There was always, obviously, only one person he'd talk to. He couldn't tear his eyes off the petite man a few seats away from him, but he didn't need to look down to pull out his phone, unlock it, and click into his messages. After he did, however, he grudgingly forced his eyes to his phone, and once his stare was broken he was able to focus on the excitement that had his hands shaking, beginning a frantic barrage of texts to his former roommate.

You: oh my Gaia Demyx

You: I'm so happy I could fucking cry dude

You: he's real

You: he's here

You: I found him

As he expected, it only took a few moments for his best friend to reply. They still talked frequently, so it wasn't like getting a text from him was a strange occurrence, but he knew the blonde would know what this would mean to him. Unfortunately, he also expected his skepticism.

Dem: Axel...where are you right now?

Dem: can you call me? I'm worried about you, man

Axel pushed back from the bar, giving one last lingering look at the short blonde who was now drinking a pink drink with his eyes closed and wearing a contented smile that tugged at Axel's heart. As quickly as he could manage, he strode to the front door, muttering that he would return to the doorman as he fled to the other side of the street. His phone was already to his ear, listening to it ring for Demyx, before he made it to the side of a building and leaned against it while lighting himself a cigarette. As soon as he heard Demyx's hesitant, wary greeting, he was off.

"Demyx, man, I can't even..I found him. After all this time. I don't even know what to do or say or if I should just-" but the blonde of the other end of the line cut him off.

"Axe, dude. I'm...worried about you. Are you sure you're not just drunk or tired or whatever? Like could you have mistaken someone else for this fantasy soulmate guy? Because I gotta be honest, I've been supporting you afar through this whole thing, but I don't want you getting arrested for- Hey, Zexy wants to talk to you." Axel huffed as he heard the phone being passed off. He knew no one would believe him, no one believed him about the memories in the first place. Those he had even bothered to confess about them to, at least. He knew how crazy the whole thing was, how it sounded to people. Still, he just wanted them to skip the disbelief and HELP him, because every fiber of his being was screaming at him to get back to the bar and the man who was already the center of his world.

"Axel?" Zexion's cool, patient tone sounded especially clinical at the moment, and the redhead hummed a response as he braced himself for what was sure to be a rudimentary evaluation. "Have you had more than three drinks this evening? Including any other substances," he asked, and Axel could picture his scrutinizing stare.

"Nope," he sighed, and Zexion pressed on.

"Have you been sleeping and eating regularly? Thinking clearly?" Axel rolled his eyes to himself, beginning to tap an impatient staccato beat with his foot.

"Yes, mom. No psychotic breaks, no hallucinations, nothing to suggest I've finally just snapped. I'm completely serious and just as amazed that I could be right as you guys, now can we PLEASE get to the part where you tell me what to do so I don't scare him off?" He groaned loudly, throwing his head back and staring desperately into the night sky. "Can't really just walk up to the guy and be like, 'hey, you don't know me but you're my soul mate, come away with me,' now can I?" Zexion snorted, which was as close to laughter as Axel figured he was going to get, before he heard Demyx rejoin the conversation; clearly he'd been put on speaker.

"Dude, gimme a break, you'd be worried too if things were the other way around. So let's just go with you not having an episode...you found him? What did you say?" Axel moaned, feeling pretty pathetic, and grabbed the hair near his temple desperately.

"Nothing, Dem, I don't know what to do. Should I even introduce myself? Should I wait til next week and plan it all out? Will I miss my chance?" Surprisingly, it was Zexion who answered him.

"If you leave there without at least making some sort of contact, what will it do to your state of mind if you don't see him next week?" The thought alone almost brought him to his knees; no, his mind would not survive something like that, he would drive himself mad wondering if he'd imagined him all along, and if he'd finally lost touch with reality. His silence seemed to mean enough to the slate-haired man on the phone, who continued gently. "There's one question answered. What's the next one?"

"What do I do?" Axel pled, beginning to pace in a tight line back and forth along the sidewalk. Pedestrians were giving his large form a wide berth and shooting him angry or sympathetic glances, but he paid them all no mind. "I don't want to sound crazy and scare him away, but I can't...he HAS to...I...don't think I've ever been this nervous or scared or intimidated in my entire life." Demyx laughed loudly over the line, and Axel growled.

"My man, you've never had trouble on that front. What's so different now?" the blonde breezed, still chuckling, but Axel's retort was icy.

"Everything is. Then, I had nothing to lose; now, I have the ONLY thing to lose," he muttered, despairing again for a second before snapping back. "So how do I introduce myself in a way that gets him to ask me to stay forever?" Zexion sighed at him dramaticism, but Demyx has become sympathetic.

"You at a bar? Buy him a drink, Axe! Or, my personal favorite pickup move you had was that one where you paid off a few of the guys and had them carry you in while everyone was-" Zexion interrupted his boyfriend's reminiscing quickly.

"I don't think Axel's looking for something quite so...gaudy," he murmured, causing Demyx to him in agreement and go quiet. "The drink wasn't a bad idea, though, Axel. Or, if you still want to give yourself time to plan, just go introduce yourself, give him your number, and then leave. That would put the action into his hands." Zexion's idea sounded safe, and much less intimidating...if nothing else, it would work as a fallback plan.

"Thanks, Zex, that actually...I think I might do that. I'll text you guys later, okay?" Now that he was less intimidated, he was absolutely frantic to have the blonde back in his sights.

"Sure, Axe. Let us know how it goes," Demyx agreed, but Zexion sounded concerned again before he hung up the phone.

"Be safe, Axel." Once the line was dead, Axel pocketed his device and used his lengthy gait to reach the bar again in a matter of strides. He brushed past the man at the door and every person who stood between him and the bar, arriving at his former position to find...nothing but a crowd of blank faces. The blonde was nowhere to be seen. He looked around frantically, scanning booths and floor to find...more nothing. It was as if...as if he'd been so desperate, he'd imagined finding his soulmate, because his mind had finally snapped. Crushing the thought angrily the second it formed, Axel jumped to his feet, about to walk the room to inspect its occupants more closely, when he remembered the bathrooms; surely the blonde was in there? He craned his head in search of their location and spotted them just as a small party was descending the stairs that ended in the same minuscule hallway. He snarled impatiently, slowly starting to head in that direction anyway when the asshole-looking blonde in front turned and Axel caught the briefest glimpse of the petite blue-eyed blonde behind him before another, massively-muscled man stepped down, effectively blocking Roxas from sight. The look of desperation on his face sent Axel into a spiraling rage, and it took every ounce of willpower he had to keep himself from charging across the room at them. As it was, he quickly slunk forward in time for a small, pale blue haired female who brought up the rear of the party to step down and follow the men. Less than ten feet behind her and scrambling to come up with a plan of action while simultaneously wondering if he should listen instead to gauge what was happening, he heard a soft, dull thud followed by a huff of air and a quiet, pained grunt; someone had just been hit, and the solid idea of who the target had been had Axel seeing red. A strangled sound escaped him as he took the step around the corner to confront them, only to catch a flash of blue hair disappearing out the emergency exit. He stopped himself from barreling after them; he needed to think. If any of them were armed, walking out that door would almost assuredly lead to a quick end for him. He assumed it led to an alley behind the building, probably shared with all the other shops in this strip. It would be difficult to sneak up in them coming from the end of the alley, but the much safer option, and he knew the clock was ticking on the other side of the door; without wasting another second, he spun on his heel and dashed out of the bar. As soon as he was outside, he whipped his head to either side, looking down the strip to see what- there. Two doors down was a coffee shop that was still open at this time of night. He dashed down the pavement, only slowing slightly as he burst into the warm, quiet interior and headed straight for the back. Chances were, this place would have a similar layout to the bar, which would mean that their emergency exit would be located in a similar alcove; his guess, luckily, turned out to be accurate. The protests from the shop owners didn't even register as he went straight for the door and pushed the escape bar down as quietly as he could manage, slipping out of the narrowest opening possible and silently easing it shut behind himself. He then flattened himself to the wall and crept forward, closing in on his prey, whose words began floating back to him the closer he drew.

"I don't...to waste...you're nothing...too small to really have any fun with, anyway." The leader of the group, the one who'd been speaking, turned around facing the direction Axel was approaching from, and despite the growing rage the redhead felt upon hearing bits of what the man had been saying, he was forced to freeze and wait in the shadows or reveal his position. To his surprise, especially given that if Axel were reading the situation correctly, Roxas was not here by choice, it was the blonde who spoke next, his glorious voice ringing through the sudden quiet as sweet as honey.

"You know, I hear the same thing about you, Seifer," the blonde crooned, and it took Axel a second to put it together; once he had, he had to work hard to keep himself from roaring with laughter. The snarky attitude on top of how irresistible he looked made Axel certain he would have pursued the blonde under any circumstances, memories or no. The leader of the trio, however, was clearly not as amused. Axel could see an eye twitch from his place several feet away before the larger blonde spun around to look at Roxas, barking at the brunette, "Hold him." The muscular man did as he was bid, easily pulling Roxas's arms tightly behind him despite the smaller figure beginning to struggle in his grip.

"You're going to regret that," the asshole leader seethed, approaching his blonde with clear intent to harm, and all the control he'd had snapped in an instant. Like a fighting dog released from it's handler, he bounded forward with singleminded focus, grabbing an exposed forearm as it carried a punch towards the pinned, struggling Roxas, who shut his eyes and turned his head to brace for impact. He hadn't seen Axel; for the best, Axel decided as burning fury rolled through him.

"Don't you even fucking think about it," his voice hissed through bared teeth, snarling threateningly at the attacker. Roxas was already his, had been for as long as his memories stretched back for in his heart, and this fucking wannabe thug was gonna learn real quick that no one messed with Axel. No one on this planet was going to lay a finger on the little blonde unless he asked them to now that Axel had found him. "If you ever so much as look at him wrong again, I will fucking destroy you. Got it memorized?" The idiot in his hold looked like he was about to say something, but Axel was done listening before the words had a chance to form. In a quick, practiced motion born of wealthy parents, a bored young Axel, and several forms of martial arts and combat training classes, the redhead twisted his hand while shoving it forward sharply and earned a loud snap and a roar from the leader. He was moving again without missing a beat, as he'd seen the musclehead about to shove Roxas away to ready for a fight; he wasn't going to let Roxas take any further mistreatment from these guys, however. Fast as lightning, he let another reflexive hit fly, kicking out at the brunette's knee and missing the satisfying sight of the strike hitting home that would match the scream piercing the air as he instead focused on keeping Roxas upright. Trying to be gentle, he gripped the blonde's upper arm and a warm feeling flooded his chest as he tugged Roxas lightly away from his collapsing captor. Was he hurt already? Was his attempt at a rescue making things worse? It was hard to completely focus on the blind panic while his heart was bursting with joy at having the blonde in arm's reach. Wonderfully deep, sparkling blue eyes locked with his and the world stopped spinning as he gazed into them, but the sight of tears forming in their corners shook all other thoughts from his head. Before he could voice his concern, the blue-haired girl spoke up behind him, causing him to turn; he'd almost forgotten all about the three for a moment, so lost was he to the blonde's stare.

"The debt won't go away no matter what you do to us. It isn't in our hands, we aren't the big leagues." The girl's tone was one of exceptional boredom, but her clenched fists and rigid posture gave her away. He growled at her, crossing his arms over his chest but relaxing his stance to show he wouldn't strike her down unless she made it necessary. A debt? Blondie was getting shaken down right now? He could pay them off if he had to, but...he definitely hadn't expected that.

"How much does he owe you?" he purred dangerously, inclining his head towards Roxas quickly in point. His expression made it clear that any threat, implied or otherwise, to the blonde was going to have to make it through him first. He saw a spark in her eyes as she took in the words and the meaning behind them, then she coolly began helping her incapacitated leader to his feet.

"Nothing. Clearly, we picked the wrong friend to have this conversation with. Roxas won't hear from us again." Ah. Not his debt, but a friend's. That made much more sense to him, at least from everything he had stored away in his head. He nodded, but the new knowledge made his fury at the violence they had used against his Roxas grow exponentially while he also longed to shield the smaller man from more, so he settled for glaring hatefully after the small party as they beat a slow retreat. After a long pause in which he struggled to get his emotions in check, Axel finally huffed out the breath he hadn't realized he was holding and at long last, let himself turn to face Roxas. This was about as far from what he had planned as possible, and now that the adrenaline and panic was wearing off, an awkward, nervous feeling took hold. He rubbed the back of his head and smiled somewhat sheepishly, trying to keep his eyes off the blonde. The poor guy was probably just as freaked out by him as he was the others, and it wouldn't help anything if Axel just stood there staring at him like an idiot. He had to say SOMETHING, though, for Gaia's sake! "So, um," he started, unsure of where his sentence was going, but Roxas unknowingly saved him, interrupting as if the words had opened a floodgate within him.

"Who are- I mean, HOW did you, um, why did...?" Roxas trailed off weakly, and Axel lifted his gaze to look at his little blonde. The smaller man was so pale he was almost sickly green, swaying slightly, and appeared to be struggling to form words. Was he in shock? "Uh, I- thanks?" Roxas managed faintly before he suddenly collapsed, Axel just barely catching him in time to keep him from planting himself face first onto the pavement. He scooped the limp form into his arms, cradling him to his chest and doing his best to check him for obvious signs of injury. Had those goons hurt him before Axel had made it there?

"What is it, oh shit, what's wrong?" he questioned desperately, but the blonde in his arms was completely out. What to do NOW? They were alone in a darkened alleyway, the smaller man was passed out, and Axel was unfamiliar with the area so he didn't even know what sort of places were around them. He supposed he would go in the direction of his car and stop if he found a bench or seating place before then. Axel set off at an ambling gait, savoring the time he was getting with Roxas snuggled into his chest and wondering if he would get the chance to do this again. Would Roxas be grateful for a hero, or frightened by a stranger who appeared out of nowhere and violently attacked people? He...may have fucked everything up. As he rounded the corner that brought them out of the alley, he gratefully spotted a bench, half hidden in shadows and out of the evening foot traffic. No sooner had he delicately set the blonde down, keeping Roxas supported with an arm around the waist and pillowing soft blonde spikes with a shoulder, he whipped out his phone to text Demyx with his free hand.

You: yo Dem

You: shit has gone down. You guys srsly aren't going to believe me. I wouldn't believe me

You: since we talked, I've beaten the shit outta some thugs in an alley and rescued him, and now have him here unconscious and like, put aside how crazy I sound rn. Wtf do I DO??

He thought about it for a second, and then switched into his phone's camera. If Demyx had gone off the rails, gone missing for YEARS, then one day suddenly said he found the person who was probably made up in his head, he'd think his friend had completely snapped. If Demyx had sent him a story like THAT, he'd be thinking about seeking professional help for the guy. A picture would prove, if nothing else, that he wasn't hallucinating and that there was a small, unconscious blonde leaning on him. He took it from his own perspective, showing a view of a blonde head resting on his shoulder, and sent it off after his messages. Not a minute later, his phone began to buzz, vibrating in his hand as Demyx's call came through. Axel rolled his eyes, declined the call, and then went back to his texts.

You: bro. He's ptfo I cant talk on the phone

Dem: WHO IS THAT??

Dem: OMG AXEL

Dem: what's going on??

You: that's...Roxas. The guy I've been looking for

You: caught a few lowlifes dragging him into an alley and..unleashed. He passed out after everything was over. Shock maybe? Idk and idk what to do rn either

You: thoughts? Zexion's thoughts?

Dem: zexys going full on paramedic mode, wants you to run like a diagnostic examination, safe to say you can't/won't rn?

You: not happening Zex, think how creepy I'd seem if he woke up to me feeling all over him

You: no visible injuries and he was only out of my sight for a short period of time

Dem: what if he doesn't come to soon and like sleeps all night??

Dem: oh shit yeah that's why you're texting

Dem: uh...

Sudden movement, slight stirring, came from his side and Axel looked down to see the blonde beginning to shift. Hurriedly, he sent off one more message before he locked his phone and shoved it into his pocket, watching Roxas intently as his eyes slowly blinked open.

You: he's coming around g2g


	4. Author’s Note

Hello! Just started posting, but expect several things soon, I'm getting ready to post several works in progress!

I'm working to expand to several platforms, feel free to find me on the following;

nowjkjkjklololol. tumblr. com

Thank you for reading, and you can reach me at if you'd like to get in contact.


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